Richard Vaughan, 2nd Earl Of Carbery
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Richard Vaughan, 2nd Earl of Carbery KB, PC ( 1600 – 1686), styled The Honourable from 1621 to 1628 and then Lord Vaughan until 1634, was a
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...
soldier, peer and politician. Born the son of a Welsh nobleman with an Irish peerage, Vaughan initially entered the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
as Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of
Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...
in 1624. He held the seat until 1629, when King Charles I decided to rule without parliament until 1640. Knighted in 1626, he appears to have had little interest in politics, and after inheriting the estates and titles of his father in 1634, he retired to the life of a country gentleman in South Wales. The outbreak of the
English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
in 1642 disturbed his peace, and after being courted by both King and Parliament, he declared as a
Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...
. He raised troops for the king and took control of the Southern Welsh counties on behalf of the Crown, for which he was rewarded with titles and responsibilities. Carbery's successes were short-lived however. Never a natural soldier, within a year he was fighting Parliamentarian risings in his counties, and shortly after resigned his command. He saw out the wars in retirement, narrowly escaping a heavy fine from Parliament, and refusing to become involved in any further escapades. Restored to favour after the Restoration in 1660, Carbery received a number of important local positions. He became a literary patron later in his career, hosting the
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
theologian
Jeremy Taylor Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667) was a cleric in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. He is sometimes known as the "Shakespeare of Divines" for his poetic style of expression, and he is fr ...
at his seat, Golden Grove (Gelli Aur), and the poet Samuel Butler, during his time as constable of
Ludlow Castle Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the Ludlow, town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy (died 1085), Wal ...
. A scandal involving his treatment of servants forced him to relinquish many of his administrative posts, and he spent his last years in quiet retirement.


Background

Richard Vaughan was the elder of the two sons of John Vaughan, 1st Earl of Carbery, and his first wife Margaret Meyrick, daughter of Sir
Gelli Meyrick Sir Gelli Meyrick (also Gelly or Gilly) (1556? – 13 March 1601) was a Welsh supporter of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and conspirator in Essex's rebellion. He was executed for his part in it. Life He was the eldest son of Rowland Meyric ...
. In his youth he travelled abroad and went to
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
in 1622, possibly with his father and the
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
on the occasion of the ill-fated
Spanish Match The Spanish match was a proposed marriage between Prince Charles I of England, Charles, the son of King James VI & I of Kingdom of Scotland and Kingdom of England, England, and Infante, Infanta Maria Anna of Spain, the daughter of Philip III of ...
.


Early career

Vaughan entered the
English House of Commons The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of ...
in 1624, sitting for
Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...
, the constituency his father had previously represented, until 1629. On the coronation of
King Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after h ...
in 1626, he was made a Knight of the
Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...
(KB). Vaughan was appointed
Custos Rotulorum of Carmarthenshire This is a list of people who have served as Custos Rotulorum of Carmarthenshire. * Richard Devereux 1543 – bef. 1558 * Sir Thomas Jones bef. 1558 – bef. 1559 * Sir Henry Jones bef. 1562–1586 * Sir Thomas Jones 1586 – bef ...
in 1630, Custos Rotulorum of Pembrokeshire in 1643 and Custos Rotulorum of Cardiganshire a year later, which offices he held until the
English Interregnum The Interregnum was the period between the execution of Charles I on 30 January 1649 and the arrival of his son Charles II of England, Charles II in London on 29 May 1660, which marked the start of the Stuart Restoration, Restoration. During the ...
in 1646.


English Civil War

Vaughan succeeded his father as earl of Carbery in 1634 and joined the
Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...
. Carbery was
called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
by
Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...
in 1637 and did not sit in either the Short or
Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an Parliament of England, English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened f ...
s summoned in 1640. He maintained a low profile in politics, and at the outset of the Civil War, his loyalties were sufficiently ambiguous for him to be courted as a supporter by both King and Parliament. Parliament appointed him lord lieutenant of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire in February 1642 and assigned to him the task of executing the militia ordinance in those counties. Carbery instead declared for the king, and he and his uncle,
Henry Vaughan Henry Vaughan (17 April 1621 – 23 April 1695) was a Welsh metaphysical poet, author and translator writing in English, and a medical physician. His religious poetry appeared in ''Silex Scintillans'' in 1650, with a second part in 1655.''Oxfo ...
, raised a regiment and marched to the support of the king at
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
in January 1643. As a reward for his loyalty, on 4 April Charles appointed Carbery lieutenant-general of
Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...
,
Cardiganshire Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a county in the west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. Ab ...
and
Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...
and sent him to secure the counties for the king. This presented little difficulty in Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire, as both were royalist leaning, but in Pembrokeshire the seaports of
Tenby Tenby () is a seaside town and community (Wales), community in the county of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It lies within Carmarthen Bay. Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, the 13th-century Tenby Town Walls, me ...
and Pembroke had active Parliamentarian sympathies. Carbery showed little appetite for a direct confrontation, and after securing an informal truce with the towns, settled down to await developments elsewhere. By October 1643 Charles had negotiated a peace to end the
Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...
, and was seeking to transfer his army in Ireland back to England to support his campaigns there. There was also the potential for Irish regiments to also cross to his aid. The Pembrokeshire seaports became of vital strategic importance, and Carbery was instructed to secure them for the king. This he did by rallying the Pembrokeshire gentry for the king and threatening attacks on the towns. Faced with this challenge, Tenby submitted on 30 August, and by 24 October Pembroke had done likewise. Charles rewarded Carbery for his success by creating him Baron Vaughan of Emlyn on 24 October, raising him to the
English peerage The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union 1707, Act of Union in 1707. From that year, the Peerages of England and Peerage of Scotland, Scotland were closed to new creations, and ne ...
and entitling him to sit in the English House of Lords. An appointment as governor of
Milford Haven Milford Haven ( ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has been used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was ...
followed on 17 November, giving him control over Pembroke and its approaches. Carbery's moment of victory was short-lived. The Parliamentarian forces in Pembroke rose up under
John Poyer John Poyer (died 25 April 1649) was a Welsh soldier in the Parliamentary army during the English Civil War in South Wales. He later turned against the parliamentary cause and was executed for treason. Background Poyer was a merchant and the m ...
, and Carbery was forced to formulate a military response. Lacking any experience or natural aptitude as a soldier, he was limited to calling out his militia and laying siege to Pembroke, hoping to blockade the town into surrender. The Parliamentarian force resisted, at first being relieved by sea, and then launching attacks on the encircling Royalist strongholds, their forces led by
Rowland Laugharne Major General Rowland Laugharne (1607 – 1675) was a member of the Welsh gentry, and a prominent soldier during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, in which he fought on both sides. Laugharne began his career as a page to Robert Devereux, 3rd ...
. Lacking a mobile reserve force, Carbery could do little to stop them, and soon had lost Tenby, followed by the entirety of Pembrokeshire by March 1644. Carbery was recalled to answer for the disaster, which worsened after his departure as Parliamentarian forces secured Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. Although he was exonerated from blame he was required to resign his commission, which was passed to Sir Charles Gerard. Carbery was assigned as Gerard's adviser, and returned to Wales in May 1644, but seems to have retired from any active role in military operations for the rest of the war.


Later career

Carbery faced a heavy fine from Parliament after the war, amounting to £4,500. His former enemy Laugharne was one of those arguing against it on his behalf, stating that he could be a useful supporter of Parliament in the region, if he was conciliated. Carbery went up to Parliament to likewise plead against it and rally support. Sir John Meyrick and the
Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...
argued on his behalf, and on 16 February 1646 the House of Commons decided to cancel the fine, a decision formalised and completed by 9 April 1647. Carbery largely retired into private life, refusing to support the revolt against Parliament in South Wales in April and May 1648, led by his former enemies Laugharne and Poyer, in conjunction with many of the region's Royalists. The rising was crushed and Carbery's decision spared him further molestation from the government. He and his second wife settled quietly in comfortable retirement at the family seat of Golden Grove (Gelli Aur). During this period they played host to the
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
writer and theologian
Jeremy Taylor Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667) was a cleric in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. He is sometimes known as the "Shakespeare of Divines" for his poetic style of expression, and he is fr ...
, who wrote many of his most notable works, including ''The Great Exemplar'' and ''Golden Grove'' while staying with Carbery.


Post-restoration

With the Restoration in 1660, Carbery resumed his first post as custos rotulorum. He was nominated
Lord President of Wales The Council of Wales and the Marches () or the Council of the Marches, officially the Court of the Council in the Dominion and Principality of Wales, and the Marches of the same was a regional administrative body founded in Shrewsbury. ...
and additionally was given several Welsh
lord lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ov ...
cies. In 1661, Carbery was sworn onto the
Privy Council of England The Privy Council of England, also known as His (or Her) Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council (), was a body of advisers to the List of English monarchs, sovereign of the Kingdom of England. Its members were often senior members of the House ...
and in 1670, he became again Custos Rotulorum of Cardiganshire. Carbery was lord president and
Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan. After 1729, all Lords Lieutenant were also Custos Rotulorum of Glamorgan. The post was abolished on 31 March 1974. Lord Lieutenants of Glamorgan to 1974 * Henry Herbert, 2nd E ...
until 1672, when after charges of abuse against his servants,
Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort (162921 January 1700) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1654 and 1667, when he succeeded his father as 3rd Marquess of Worcester. He was styled Lord Herbert ...
assumed both offices. A year later the duke succeeded Carbery also as
Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Anglesey. Since 1761, all lord lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Anglesey. The office was abolished on 31 March 1974. Lord lieutenants of Anglesey to 1974 *''see Lord Lieut ...
as well as
Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire. After 1723, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Brecknockshire. The office was abolished on 31 March 1974 and replaced with the Lord Lieutenant of Powys, with ...
. During Carbery's tenure as president, he held the constableship of
Ludlow Castle Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the Ludlow, town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy (died 1085), Wal ...
, and appointed his secretary Samuel Butler as the castle's steward. There Butler wrote the first part of ''
Hudibras ''Hudibras'' () is a vigorous satirical poem, written in a mock-heroic style by Samuel Butler (1613–1680), and published in three parts in 1663, 1664 and 1678. The action is set in the last years of the Interregnum, around 1658–60, immediate ...
''. Despite the loss of his Lieutenancies, Carbery retained both positions as custos rotulorum until his death in 1686. He was buried at
Llanfihangel Aberbythych Llanfihangel Aberbythych () is a Community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The population recorded at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 1,344. It is bordered by Llangathen, Llandeilo, Dyffryn Cennen, Llandybie, Gorsl ...
12 days later.


Family

Lord Carbery married three times, firstly to Bridget Lloyd, daughter of Thomas Lloyd. After Bridget's death, he married Frances Altham, daughter of Sir James Altham, and granddaughter of the judge Sir James Altham, in
Acton, London Acton () is a town in West London, England, within the London Borough of Ealing. It is west of Charing Cross. At the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census, its four Wards of the United Kingdom, wards, East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton ...
, on 8 August 1637, and they had three sons (Francis, John and Altham) and a daughter. Frances died in 1650 and Carbery married thirdly Lady Alice Egerton, daughter of
John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater, KB, PC (1579 – 4 December 1649), was an English peer and politician from the Egerton family. The son of Sir Thomas Egerton and Elizabeth Ravenscroft, he matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxfor ...
, two years later. The earl died in 1686 and was succeeded in his titles by his second son
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
. His eldest son
Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...
was the Member of Parliament for
Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...
when he predeceased his father in 1667. Carbery's last wife, Alice, survived her husband by three years.


Notes

a. The ''
Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'' and its successor, the ''
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...
'', together with the ''
Dictionary of Welsh Biography The ''Dictionary of Welsh Biography'' (DWB) (also ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography Down to 1940'' and ''The Dictionary of Welsh Biography, 1941 to 1970'') is a biographical dictionary of Welsh people who have made a significant contribution to ...
'', records that Vaughan died on 3 December.VAUGHAN family, of Golden Grove, Carms.
at Welsh Biography Online (web site of the
National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales (, ) in Aberystwyth is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, and the l ...
) accessed 19 March 2008
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' notes an earlier death date recorded in
Narcissus Luttrell Narcissus Luttrell (1657–1732) was an English historian, diarist and bibliographer, and briefly Member of Parliament for two different Cornish boroughs. His ''Brief Historical Relation of State Affairs from September 1678 to April 1714'', a ch ...
's ''A Brief Historical Relation of State Affairs from September 1678 to April 1714'', p. 379. The ''
History of Parliament The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in ...
'', using Luttrell's work, records of
probate In common law jurisdictions, probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased; or whereby, in the absence of a legal will, the e ...
, family papers in the Carmarthen Record Office, and F. Jones's article 'Vaughans of Golden Grove', ''Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion'' (1963), p. 128., to prefer a death date of 3 June 1686.


References

, - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Carbery, Richard Vaughan, 2nd Earl Of 1600s births 1686 deaths Cavaliers Earls in the Peerage of Ireland Knights of the Bath Members of Gray's Inn Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales Members of the Privy Council of England English MPs 1624–1625 English MPs 1625 English MPs 1626 English MPs 1628–1629 People educated at Whitgift School Royalist military personnel of the English Civil War Cardigan Militia officers Carmarthen Militia officers Pembroke Militia officers